US20210300804A1 - Water characteristic selection system and method - Google Patents
Water characteristic selection system and method Download PDFInfo
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- US20210300804A1 US20210300804A1 US17/347,294 US202117347294A US2021300804A1 US 20210300804 A1 US20210300804 A1 US 20210300804A1 US 202117347294 A US202117347294 A US 202117347294A US 2021300804 A1 US2021300804 A1 US 2021300804A1
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
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- C02F1/68—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by addition of specified substances, e.g. trace elements, for ameliorating potable water
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Abstract
Systems and methods are described, which relate to the control of additive dispensers to provide defined amounts of one or more additive compounds to water to produce customized water. A given additive dispenser may include multiple inputs and/or outputs. Predefined water profiles may be stored in memory. A given water profile may define the amounts of additives to be delivered by the additive dispensers to achieve desired water characteristics. A controller may determine actual water characteristics of input water based on corresponding sensor data, and may compare the actual water characteristics to desired water characteristics in order to determine the amount of additive or additives that should be delivered to the input water to achieve the desired water characteristics. The additive dispensers may be network-enabled and may include transceivers configured to receive instructions related to production of customized water from a user device.
Description
- This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/GB2019/053529, filed Dec. 12, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/778,552 filed Dec. 12, 2018, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
- Water supplied to a home or business, whether through a well or a municipal water supply, may be used in a variety of applications such as drinking, cooking, showers, baths, toilets, pools, agricultural maintenance, and even heat. Conventional water systems can include devices for treating the input water for particular uses and then delivering treated water to the appropriate points-of-use. For example, a filtration system may remove contaminants from the input water to produce drinking water, and various combinations of pipes, valves, and manifolds can direct the filtered water to a drinking water tap; a water softener system can remove minerals that cause hardness and/or add salt and other chemicals to produce softened water usable at shower heads and in washing machines and dishwashers. The most widely used treatment device is a water heater; input water or treated water may be delivered to the water heater for heating (and, typically, storage), and various faucets, shower heads, and other points of use have hot and cold water supplies that a user can blend to produce water at the desired temperature.
- Conventionally, blending two water supplies of different temperature to produce output water at a desired temperature is the only “customization” of the output water that can be done at the point-of-use; the characteristics of the output water are otherwise inflexible, and the user must manually treat the output water for a customized use. For example, a user may pour a glass of water from the drinking water tap, and then add an amount of prepackaged composition to affect the flavor, nutritional content, alkalinity, etc. In another example, the user may draw a bath and then pour an amount of bath salts into the filled bathtub to produce a saline and/or aromatic bath.
- Systems and methods for selectively customizing the characteristics of water output from a water system at a particular point-of-use are provided. Some embodiments provide a system of network-connected devices including a manifold connected between a feed water source and a point-of-use, such as a faucet. The manifold may further have multiple inputs each receiving a different type of feed water, such as input water, softened water, and filtered water. The manifold may include or be coupled to one or more additive dispensers. Additionally or alternatively, the network-connected devices may include one or more point-of-use additive dispensers in fluid communication with the outlet water at the point of use (e.g., attachable to the output port of a faucet, or attachable inline between a water pipe and a tap). An additive dispenser may include a dispensing device and one or more containers loadable into the dispensing device and containing one of the available additives. In various embodiments, and depending upon the point-of-use, the additives may include flavoring compounds, nutritional supplements, mineral compounds, aromatic compounds, medical or therapeutic compounds, rebalancing chemicals, and combinations thereof
- The network-connected devices may further include a controller and a user device or a point-of-use interface device having a software application installed thereon that enables the user to select and/or specify a set of desired water characteristics and cause data signals describing the desired water characteristics to be sent to the manifold/point-of-use additive dispenser. The manifold/point-of-use additive dispenser is controllable via data signals to: receive the desired water characteristics; determine a type and an amount of one or more additives that can be combined with the feed water to produce a customized output water having the desired water characteristics; and, cause the one or more additives to be combined with the feed water at the determined amount as the feed water passes through the manifold/point-of-use dispenser to the outlet port. A manifold that receives multiple types of feed water may further be controllable to select which of the inputs to open based on the desired water characteristics. In some embodiments, the network-connected devices may further include other water treatment subsystems, such as filtration systems and water softener systems, and/or other components such as smart valves; these devices may also receive the desired water characteristics and modify their operational parameters to produce treated water that forms all or part of the feed water to the manifold/point-of-use dispenser. Thus, the user can request the customized output water and the system can produce the customized output water on-demand.
- In an example embodiment, a system may include a water system and a communication system. The water system may include a water source, an additive dispenser coupled to the water source, and a smart valve coupled between and in fluid communication with the water source and the additive dispenser. The communication system may include a controller that is in electronic communication with the additive dispenser, the smart valve, and a communication network. The controller may include a processor and a memory device configured to store instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to receive, from a user device connected to the communication network, a request for customized water at a point-of-use, and upon receiving the request, control the additive dispenser and the smart valve to modify water received by the additive dispenser from the water source to produce the customized water at the point-of-use.
- In some embodiments, the point-of-use may include a water-using appliance that is selected from the group consisting of a pool, a spa, a water tap, a beverage device, a dishwasher, a washing machine, and a steam oven.
- In some embodiments, the additive dispenser may be configured to deliver at least one additive to the water received from the water source to produce the customized water. The at least one additive may be selected from the group consisting of salt, chlorine, an acidic compound, a basic compound, an aromatic compound, a flavoring compound, a mineral compound, dye, nutrients, an anti-scalant compound, plant fertilizer, detergent, and fabric softener.
- In some embodiments, the request may identify a custom water profile. The instructions, when executed, may cause the processor to retrieve the custom water profile from a custom water profile data store, and identify, based on the custom water profile, the at least one additive and at least one amount of the at least one additive to be delivered to the water. The additive dispenser may be configured to produce the customized water by delivering the at least one amount of the at least one additive to the water.
- In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to determine that the at least one amount of the at least one additive is not available to the additive dispenser, and cause an error message to be displayed at a user interface associated with the point-of-use, the error message indicating insufficient additive levels are available to complete the request.
- In some embodiments, the request may identify a desired water characteristic. The instructions, when executed, may cause the processor to cause the additive dispenser to deliver an amount of the at least one additive to the water to produce the customized water having the desired water characteristic.
- In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed, may cause the processor to receive sensor data from at least one sensor in fluid communication with an input of the additive dispenser, determine, based on the sensor data, an actual water characteristic of the water received by the additive dispenser, determine a difference between the actual water characteristic to the desired water characteristic, and determine, based on the difference, the amount of the at least one additive to be added to the water to cause the customized water to have the desired water characteristic.
- In an example embodiment, a method may include steps of receiving, by a controller from a user device via an electronic communication network, a request for customized water at a point-of-use, upon receiving the request, controlling, by the controller, an additive dispenser and a smart valve coupled between a water source and the additive dispenser to modify water received by the additive dispenser from the water source to produce the customized water at the point-of-use.
- In some embodiments, the point-of-use may include a water-using appliance that is selected from the group consisting of a pool, a spa, a water tap, a beverage device, a dishwasher, a washing machine, and a steam oven.
- In some embodiments, the method may further include a step of delivering, with the additive dispenser, at least one additive to the water received from the water source to produce the customized water, the at least one additive being selected from the group consisting of salt, chlorine, an acidic compound, a basic compound, an aromatic compound, a flavoring compound, a mineral compound, dye, nutrients, an anti-scalant compound, plant fertilizer, detergent, and fabric softener.
- In some embodiments, the request may identify a custom water profile. The method may include steps of retrieving, by the controller, the custom water profile from a custom water profile data store, and identifying, by the controller based on the custom water profile, the at least one additive and at least one amount of the at least one additive to be delivered to the water, wherein the additive dispenser delivers the at least one amount of the additive to the water to produce the customized water.
- In some embodiments, the method may include steps of determining, by the controller, that the at least one amount of the at least one additive is not available to the additive dispenser, and causing, by the controller, an error message to be displayed at a user interface associated with the point-of-use, the error message indicating insufficient additive levels are available to complete the request.
- In some embodiments, the request identifies a desired water characteristic. The method may further include a step of delivering, by the additive dispenser, an amount of the at least one additive to the water to produce the customized water having the desired water characteristic.
- In some embodiments, the method may further include steps of receiving, by the controller, sensor data from at least one sensor in fluid communication with an input of the additive dispenser, determining, by the controller based on the sensor data, an actual water characteristic of the water received by the additive dispenser, determining, by the controller, a difference between the actual water characteristic to the desired water characteristic, and determining, by the controller based on the difference, the amount of the at least one additive to be added to the water to cause the customized water to have the desired water characteristic.
- In an example embodiment, an additive dispenser may include a mixing chamber, a cartridge manifold, a cartridge, and a controller. The mixing chamber may include at least one input port in fluid communication with a water source, and at least one output port in fluid communication with a point-of-use. The cartridge manifold may be in fluid communication with the mixing chamber. The cartridge may be coupled to the cartridge manifold and may contain an additive. The cartridge manifold may be configured to control dispensation of the additive from the cartridge into the mixing chamber. The controller may be communicatively coupled to the cartridge manifold. The controller may include a transceiver, a processor, and a memory device configured to store instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to receive a request for customized water via the transceiver, and control the cartridge manifold to deliver an amount of the additive contained in the cartridge to the mixing chamber to produce the customized water.
- In some embodiments, the additive dispenser may include a flow meter disposed at the output of the mixing chamber, communicatively coupled to the controller, and configured to generate flow rate data representing fluid flow rate through the output.
- In some embodiments, the instructions when executed, further cause the processor to periodically receive the flow rate data from the flow meter, determine that the fluid flow rate through the output is zero based on the flow rate data, and prevent the cartridge manifold from delivering the additive to the mixing chamber until the flow rate data indicates that fluid is flowing at the output.
- In some embodiments, the instructions when executed, further cause the processor to periodically receive the flow rate data from the flow meter, perform a comparison of the flow rate data to a look-up table stored in the memory device, and based on the comparison, determine the amount of the additive to be delivered to the mixing chamber by the cartridge manifold.
- In some embodiments, the additive dispenser may include a plurality of cartridges, including the cartridge, coupled to the cartridge manifold. Each cartridge may include a respective additive of a plurality of additives.
- In some embodiments, the request may identify a water profile. The instructions when executed, may cause the processor to retrieve the water profile from the memory device, determine, based on the water profile, amounts of the plurality of additives to be delivered to the mixing chamber to produce the customized water, and cause the cartridge manifold to deliver the amounts of the plurality of additives to the mixing chamber to produce the customized water.
- Features which are described in the context of separate aspects and/or embodiments of the invention may be used together and/or be interchangeable wherever possible. Similarly, where features are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, those features may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Features described in connection with a system may have corresponding features definable and/or combinable with respect to a method or vice versa, and these embodiments are specifically envisaged.
- The invention will be better understood and features, aspects and advantages other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description. Such detailed description makes reference to the following drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a diagram of a computing environment for deploying Internet of Things (IoT) devices in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of an IoT device. -
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a system in accordance with embodiments of the invention, including a server and IoT devices. -
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of another computing environment in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example deployment including embodiments of the invention, illustrating a connected residence. -
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a communication system and a water system having controllable additive dispensers for producing customized output water. -
FIG. 7A is a flowchart of an example method for controlling a water system to deliver customized output water to a point-of-use upon request. -
FIG. 7B is a flowchart of an example method for controlling water system components to dispense additives into the input water to produce customized output water having a set of desired water characteristics. -
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a connected additive dispenser and user interface (UI) device installed at a point-of-use. -
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a connected manifold having an additive dispenser. - Before any embodiments are described in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings, which is limited only by the claims that follow the present disclosure. The invention is capable of other embodiments, and of being practiced, or of being carried out, in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.
- The following description is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modifications to the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to be limited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The following detailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different figures have like reference numerals. Skilled artisans will recognize the examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of embodiments of the invention.
- Additionally, while the following discussion may describe features associated with specific devices, it is understood that additional devices and or features can be used with the described systems and methods, and that the discussed devices and features are used to provide examples of possible embodiments, without being limited.
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FIG. 1 illustrates anexample computing environment 100 for wired and/or wireless monitoring and control of electronic and mechanical devices that are deployed in a physical environment, such as a home or residential environment, a commercial building, a farm or other agricultural facility, industrial environments such as factories and refineries, and any other physical environment where it is feasible and beneficial to deploy so-called “smart” devices, which are natively or retroactively enabled to connect to the internet or another wide-area network (WAN) 122 to send and receive electronic data. In particular, such devices become “connected objects” 102, 104 in thecomputing environment 100 by interfacing with an internet enabled device, referred to herein as an “Internet-of-Things” (IoT) device, in accordance with various embodiments described herein. Other significant entities, such as a person, an animal (e.g., a farm animal), a pipe or pipeline, a body of water, or the physical environment itself, may become aconnected object computing environment 100 by interfacing with an IoT device. The interface or connection between aconnected object IoT device FIGS. 1 and 2 . - Each of the IoT devices 110-116 may be embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity, either within the device itself or in cooperation with
connected servers environment 100 may send and/or receive data transmissions over aWAN 122, a local area network (LAN) 120, and/or another communication network using any suitable communication protocol. For example, the IoT devices 112-116 may communicate over theLAN 120 with a localserver computing device 118, such as in a private network where transmitted data to/from the IoT devices is isolated from the internet or anotherWAN 122, at least until the data is processed by thelocal server 118. In some embodiments, (a) local server(s) 118 may be operated at the same location as the IoT devices 112-116, such as at a residence or in an office building. Auser device 130 may also be connected to theLAN 120 in order to access the IoT data as described below; alternatively, IP connectivity may be used, connecting theLAN 120 and/or the local server(s) 118 to the Internet or anotherWAN 122, so that the local and/orremote user devices local server 118. - In still other embodiments, one or more of the IoT devices 110-116 may connect, directly or through a router, gateway, base station, etc. (shown as wired/wireless router or
gateway 124, 126), to theWAN 122 in order to communicate with cloud-based computing resources. Such an environment provides a bi-directional, direct-to-cloud communication between the IoT devices 110-116 and one or more application and/or hosting servers. In some embodiments, IoT devices 110-116 may communicate with and directly use the resources of one or more physical, remoteserver computing devices 160, which may be deployed in one or more data centers (for example) in a particular geographic location or dispersed throughout several geographic locations. In other embodiments, the remotephysical servers 160 may cooperate to provide virtualized computing resources that can be allocated for use by, for example, an authorized user of a computing resource service provider. Thus, a user that controls, or provides services for, the IoT devices 110-116 may configure and deploy one or morevirtual servers 150 that are allocated the use of certain physical computing resources, such as processor cycles, memory, data storage, etc., of thephysical servers 160; the IoT devices 110-116 may, in turn, be configured to connect to thevirtual servers 150. For example, anIoT device 110 may be programmed to connect to an IP address associated with an endpoint that connects a virtual network adapter of theservers 150 to a physical network adapter of thephysical servers 160. Thevirtual servers 150, or the computing resource service provider's computing environment in which thevirtual servers 150 are deployed, may provide other computing resource services for implementing an IoT platform as described further below. - Given this bi-directional, cloud-based environment, each IoT device 110-116 may be deployed as a direct-to-cloud IoT device. In other words, the deployment of multiple IoT devices 110-116 in a LAN-based or cloud-based environment provides for an internetworking of physical devices, connected devices, and/or smart devices at the network level. Various communication protocols between components may be used, depending on the types of devices connecting to each other and the type, amount, and frequency of data being exchanged. Non-limiting examples of connection protocols include: an
IoT device 110, such as a base station or fixture, may have a wired (e.g., CAT5, USB) connection to arouter 124 and may use any TCP/IP protocol for wired connections; or, anIoT device 110 may have a wireless connection to arouter 124, and may use wireless TCP/IP protocols such as WiFi or MQTT; anIoT device 112 may communicate directly with anotherIoT device 114 using the above wireless protocols or other suitable protocols such as Bluetooth; IoT device 110-114 connections to aconnected object 102 may be wired, or may be indirect based on a sensor interface; or, anIoT device 116 may connect wirelessly to theconnected object 104, using a suitable protocol such as RFID for an RFID-enabledconnected object 104. More generally, a communication network can include a Wi-Fi network (e.g., an 802.11x network, which can include one or more wireless routers, one or more switches, etc.), a peer-to-peer network (e.g., a Bluetooth network, a ZigBee® network, a Z-Wave® network, a proprietary RF connection, etc.), a cellular network (e.g., a 3G network, a 4G network, a 5G network, etc., complying with any suitable standard, such as CDMA, GSM, LTE, LTE Advanced, WiMAX, etc.), a wired network, an EnOcean® network, etc. In some embodiments, the communication network can be a LAN, a WAN, a public network (e.g., the Internet), a private or semi-private network (e.g., a corporate or university intranet), any other suitable type of network, or any suitable combination of networks. Communications links between the pressure switch 201, the router/modem server 150, and/or the internet enableddevice 110 can each be any suitable communications link or combination of communications links, such as wired links, fiber optic links, Wi-Fi links, Bluetooth links, cellular links, etc. - A user may operate one or more
client computing devices 130, such as a desktop or laptop computer, or amobile computing device 132 such as a phone or tablet, running client software that enables thedevice server client computing devices client computing device client computing devices -
FIG. 2 shows the internal (i.e., partially or fully inside a housing) components of anexample IoT device 200 in accordance with some embodiments of the invention (e.g., as an example of one or more of the IoT devices 110-116 ofFIG. 1 ). As shown inFIG. 2 , anIoT device 200 may serve to both collect data associated with aconnected object 216, and control one or more operations and/or operating parameters of theconnected object 216; in other embodiments, an IoT device for theconnected object 216 may only collect and report data, or only control operations/configurations of theconnected object 216. To collect data associated with theconnected object 216, theIoT device 200 may include, connect to, or communicate with one or more of several different types of sensors. Non-limiting examples of types of sensors that may cooperate with or be incorporated in theIoT device 200 includereactive sensors 206,passive sensors 208, anddirect sensors 210, among others. Areactive sensor 206 can detect and report certain monitoredinputs 204 on theconnected object 216 or theIoT device 200 itself; examples include a pressure transducer that detects a button press or a fluid pressure level, a moisture sensor, a flow rate sensor, a photodiode or other light receptor, and a sample analyzer that collects a sample (e.g., of water in which thesensor 206 is submerged) and measures a property of the sample (e.g., total dissolved solids; note that a sample analyzer may also be adirect sensor 210 if theconnected object 216 is a body of water (as opposed to a water filter in the body of water)). Apassive sensor 208 can detect environmental and other ambient properties; examples include an ambient temperature sensor, an ambient light sensor (e.g., for sunlight), a humidistat, etc. Adirect sensor 210 can be connected to theconnected object 216, or in communication therewith, or otherwise oriented to monitor one or more specific properties of theconnected object 216; examples include a thermistor for monitoring the temperature of theconnected object 216, a biometric sensor, a sample analyzer (e.g., of water at the inlet or outlet of a water filter), a current sensor, a speed sensor, etc. - Any of the sensors 206-210 may be configured to monitor a corresponding property continuously, at intervals, or randomly, and/or may “listen” for inputs and react when they are detected. Sensors 206-210 may also continuously generate data, or may only generate data at intervals, or only when the monitored property meets one or more particular thresholds; the generated data may describe the state of the property being measured. The sensors 206-210 may send the data to a
microcontroller 212 of theIoT device 200. Amicrocontroller 212 may be any suitable microprocessor, including single- and multi-core CPUs, wireless-enabled microcontrollers, and other known microcontrollers having the processing power to receive data from the sensors and transmit the data to a receiving device such as a gateway/router or a local or cloud server. In some embodiments, themicrocontroller 212 can be configured to itself act as a wireless gateway module. For example, themicrocontroller 212 can be implemented using a single-chip wireless microcontroller, such as the CC3200MOD microcontroller available from Texas Instruments® (of Dallas, Tex.), which can include a CC3200R1M2RGC microcontroller from Texas Instruments®. Amicrocontroller 212 may further have sufficient computing power to receive control commands from a router/gateway, a server, another IoT device, or a client computing device, and deliver the control commands to theconnected object 216 as described below. Themicrocontroller 212 may further have sufficient resources to store and execute data analysis algorithms, such as processing methods that enable themicrocontroller 212 to evaluate sensor 206-210 data and issue control commands to theconnected object 216 based on the evaluated data. For example, themicrocontroller 212 and/or theIoT device 200 can include any suitable volatile memory, non-volatile memory, storage, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, the memory can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, one or more flash drives, one or more hard disks, one or more solid state drives, one or more optical drives, etc. In some embodiments, the memory can have encoded thereon a computer program for controlling operation of a hardware processor (e.g., microcontroller 212) in the form of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the hardware processor, cause the hardware processor to perform one or more actions as indicated by the instructions. - In some embodiments, the
microcontroller 212 or theIoT device 200 can include one ormore antennas 220 configured to send and/or receive wireless signals, such as signals for communicating over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-Wave, free-space optical, etc. In some such embodiments, the antenna(s) 220 can receive signals from the wireless gateway module, and can transmit the signals to themicrocontroller 212 for processing into commands. Additionally or alternatively, theantenna 220 can send signals generated by themicrocontroller 212 to the wireless gateway/router. In some embodiments, the antenna(s) 220 can be an integral part of themicrocontroller 212. Alternatively, in some embodiments, theantenna 220 can be mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB) and electrically connected to themicrocontroller 212, and/or can be mounted to a housing of theIoT device 200. In some embodiments, theIoT device 200 can communicate with server(s) and/or other IoT devices in the network using the antenna(s) 220. For example, theIoT device 200 can use the antenna(s) 220 to communicate using a direct connection (e.g., over a Bluetooth connection, over a direct Wi-Fi connection such as an ad hoc Wi-Fi connection or Direct Wi-Fi connection), and/or an indirect connection (e.g., over a LAN, over a mesh network, etc.). - In some embodiments, the
IoT device 200 can include acontrol interface 214 that enables theIoT device 200 to control operations and/or to change configuration settings or other data of theconnected object 216. Thecontrol interface 214 may include any suitable electrical and/or electronic components and connections needed to enable the desired control of theconnected object 216. For example, acontrol interface 214 for a water pump can connect to the power supply circuit of the pump and, based on signals from themicrocontroller 212, selectively provide power for operation of the pump. In this example, thecontrol interface 214 or theIoT device 200 can be connected to both a source of power (e.g., a household electrical grid) and wires/cable(s) connected to the pump, and can either provide power to the pump or inhibit power from being provided to the pump. Themicrocontroller 212 may provide the appropriate format of signal to cause thecontrol interface 214 to apply the desired control. For example, in an analog environment such as the pump power control, thecontrol interface 214 may be a series of switches, and themicrocontroller 212 may send one or more signals that open or close the switches as needed to apply the desired power setting. In another example, theconnected object 216 may be a digital device, and thecontrol interface 214 may be an application programming interface (API) that converts themicrocontroller 212 control signals to function calls that thecontrol interface 214 sends to theconnected object 216 to change its operating parameters. - In some embodiments, the
IoT device 200 can include apower supply 218 that can provide power for operation of themicrocontroller 212 and/or any other suitable low voltage devices within theIoT device 200. For example, theIoT device 200 can receive input power at 230 V and 60 Hertz (Hz), which is not suitable for operation of themicrocontroller 212, which is typically a low voltage device (e.g., operating at 3.3 V DC, 5 V DC, 12 V DC, 24 V DC, etc.). In some embodiments,power supply 218 can receive AC power (e.g., at 230 V, 60 Hz), convert the AC power to low voltage DC power, and distribute power to one or more other components of theIoT device 200, such as themicrocontroller 212. In other embodiments, thepower supply 218 may be one or more onboard batteries (e.g., AAA batteries) contained within the housing of theIoT device 200. Thepower supply 218 may provide power in a variety of other ways, for example, from harvested energy, wirelessly through inductive coupling or resonant inductive coupling, or in any other known way. In some embodiments, thepower supply 218 or another energy storage device such as a battery, an ultracapacitor, a fuel cell, etc., can provide supplemental power to continue to operate theIoT device 200 when an external power supply is interrupted or a primary battery fails. -
FIG. 3 is a block diagram 300 that illustrates additional details of a communication system. The block diagram 300 includes theIoT devices 310A-C, apower source 312, a base station, router, orgateway 320, aserver 336, aprocessor 330,software 332, andstorage 334. - As described above, the IoT devices 310 may sense data about the environment and/or users and/or a connected object; an
IoT device 310A-C can provide raw sensor data and/or processed sensor data toserver 336 viagateway 320. Additionally, or alternatively, the IoT devices 310 may receive data, such as control signals generated by theserver 336 or a client computing device or sensor data from other IoT devices, from theserver 336 via thegateway 320. The IoT devices 310 may communicate with thegateway 320 through a wired (e.g.,IoT device 310B) or wireless connection. TheIoT device 310B may also receive power through its wired connection with thegateway 320; theIoT device 310A receives power from thepower source 312; theIoT device 310C does not have a separate power source and may instead rely on piezoelectric technology or other technology to provide sufficient energy for transmitting information to thegateway 320. Depending on the embodiment, the IoT devices 310 may employ a range of technologies. For example, the IoT devices 310 may detect heat or pressure changes, may detect touch, or may detect changes in a variety of health indicators. Certain IoT devices 310 may rely on Bluetooth, iBeacon, or near field communication technology. In some embodiments, the IoT devices 310 may include an accelerometer. The IoT devices 310 may be present in a variety of locations within an organization's environment. The IoT devices 310 may be embedded in an article of furniture, such as a chair or table, and/or may be embedded in or coupled to a wall, partition, ceiling, of floor. The IoT devices 310 may also be associated with a user, present, for example, in a user's identification badge or mobile communication device (e.g., a smartphone, in a wrist worn device, etc.). - The
gateway 320 relays information to theserver 336 and may be coupled to theserver 336 via a LAN or wide area network (WAN). Thegateway 320 may be any device suitable to receive, aggregate, and/or relay information from theIoT devices 310A-C, including, for example, a wireless router or a Room Wizard™. Thegateway 320 may include existing technology affiliated with other services of an organization or may be provided to an organization specifically for use with the IoT devices 310. For example, thegateway 320 may be provided in the form of a base station comprising computing resources, such as a processor, memory, and specific program instructions (e.g., software or firmware) that the processor executes to communicate with and/or monitor deployed IoT devices 310. In some embodiments, more than onegateway 320 may be used to optimize performance. For example, the number and/or positioning of gateways may depend on the number and/or positioning of IoT devices 310. - As information from one or more IoT devices 310 reaches the
server 336,software 332 may determine how the information is processed. In this embodiment, asoftware module 332A can configure acommands processor 330 to perform a variety of tasks, such as processing collected data from the IoT devices 310 and/or sending control signals to the IoT devices 310 for controlling the corresponding connected object(s). For example,processor 330 may analyze incoming data related to a user's location, orientation, or interaction with a client computing device. Theprocessor 330 may make determinations or conclusions about a user or group of users, or an object or group of objects, or other environmental or input conditions, based on incoming data. Theprocessor 330 may also relay information or send conclusions to a user or group of users. Incoming data from IoT devices 310, other incoming data or inputs, conclusions, and other data may be stored instorage 334. - In various embodiments, the
server 336 may be a virtual server or may represent a cluster of servers. Some or all portions of the block diagram may be located physically on site at an organization's location and some or all may be stored remotely in the cloud. For example, in one embodiment,server 336 may physically include theprocessor 330 while thesoftware 332, thesoftware module 332A, and thestorage 334 are located in a remote or cloud server. In another embodiment, only thesoftware 332 or thestorage 334 may be located in a remote or cloud server. Thesoftware module 332A may additionally communicate with a variety of other servers, processors, hardware, and software located in theserver 336 or in other servers or other locations. For example, thesoftware module 332A may communicate with a second server to ensure that a user's calendar or reservation information is up-to-date. - Referring to
FIG. 4 , embodiments of the invention may operate within or upon computing systems (e.g., the hardware computing device 405) of a computing resource service provider that provide acomputing environment 400 accessible, via one or more computer networks, by users ofuser computing devices 402 and by one or moreIoT devices 404 configured and deployed as described above. Thecomputing environment 400 may, for example, be provided by thevirtual servers 150 and/or thephysical servers 160 ofFIG. 1 (i.e.,computing device 405 may be one of thephysical servers 160 ofFIG. 1 ). That is, whereFIG. 1 illustrates the conceptual operation of the present systems and methods in interaction, via thecomputing devices computing environment 100,FIG. 4 illustrates a computing architecture in which a client may access the computing systems of the computing resource service provider environment 400 (e.g., using the client's user account credentials) using acomputing device 402 to connect to one or more user interfaces provided (e.g., as websites, web applications, command consoles, APIs, etc.) in theenvironment 400. The user interfaces may enable the client to manage virtual computing resources allocated to the client's account and configured to implement an IoT platform for the client'sIoT devices 404. - The computing resource
service provider environment 400 may include one ormore systems 401 that cooperate to enable deployment of the IoT platform using a customized configuration for a particular user. Thesystems 401 may include aplatform API 412 to which the client, viacomputing device 402, connects in order to configure, deploy, manage, and otherwise interact with the client's IoT platform. In some embodiments, theplatform API 412 provides secure access to anIoT management system 414 that includes or accesses services and data needed to interact with an IoT platform, anIoT application 462, and/orIoT devices 404 that are deployed within or connect to the client'svirtual computing environment 406, described below. In some embodiments, theIoT management system 414 may access one or more user account data stores 422 that contain user account information and other private information associated with the client's user account. For example, theIoT management system 414 may store and retrieve configuration settings for particularIoT devices 404 and/orIoT applications 462 that the client has previously submitted. - The computing resource service provider implements, within its
computing environment 400, at least onevirtual computing environment 406 in which users may obtain virtual computing resources that enable the users to run programs, store, retrieve, and process data, access services of the computing resourceservice provider environment 400, etc. Thevirtual computing environment 406 may be one of any suitable type and/or configuration of a compute resource virtualization platform implemented on one or more physical computing devices. Non-limiting examples ofvirtual computing environments 406 include data centers, clusters of data centers organized into zones or regions, a public or private cloud environment, etc. Thevirtual computing environment 406 may be associated with and controlled and managed by the client. In some embodiments, thevirtual computing environment 406 of a particular client may be dedicated to the client, and access thereto by any other user or service of the computing resourceservice provider environment 400 prohibited except in accordance with access permissions granted by the client. In some embodiments, anenvironment API 460 may serve as a front-end interface that provides access to the resources of thevirtual computing environment 406 based on whether or not requests to access theenvironment 406 are authorized. For example, theIoT management system 414 may deploy IoT platform-related resources, push configuration changes, and request information about such resources via calls to theenvironment API 460. Additionally or alternatively, other channels, such as TLS-encrypted data channels, may be enabled to allow data to enter or exit theenvironment 406 without passing through theenvironment API 460. For example, anIoT application 462 in theenvironment 406 may be configured to communicate directly withIoT devices 404 and/or certain services in the computing resourceservice provider environment 400. - In some embodiments, a client's IoT platform may be deployed by installing one or
more IoT applications 462 into the client'svirtual computing environment 406. AnIoT application 462 may be a software program or suite of software programs including program instructions that enable a processor executing theIoT application 462 to communicate with deployedIoT devices 404, sending and/or receiving data, processing data, and making decisions in accordance with the desired goals and functions of the IoT platform. For example, theIoT application 462 may cause the processor to receive sensor data from theIoT devices 404, process the data to determine whether to take any actions, and then perform any identified action such as reporting the status of connected objects to the client, sending new commands to one or more of theIoT devices 404, storing data (e.g., in an IoT device data store 464), etc. The IoT application may be executed within virtual computing resources allocated to the client'svirtual computing environment 406, such as one or more virtual machine instances or logical container instances configured to provide virtualized physical computing resources for the purpose of performing the IoT application's functions. For example, a virtual machine instance may be launched from a software image including the configuration information (e.g., operating system, memory, disk storage, network interface configuration, and software program code) needed to provide an execution environment for theIoT application 462. - The computing resource
service provider environment 400 may include data processing architecture that implements systems and services that operate “outside” of any particular user's virtual computing environment and perform various functions, such as managing communications to the virtual computing environments, providing electronic data storage, and performing security assessments and other data analysis functions. These systems and services may communicate with each other, with devices and services outside of the computing resourceservice provider environment 400, and/or with the virtual computing environments. Services depicted in the figures as inside a particularvirtual computing environment 406 or outside all virtual computing environments may be suitably modified to operate in the data processing architecture in a different fashion than what is depicted. TheIoT management system 414 may include or communicate with one or more service interfaces 416, such as APIs, that enable theIoT management system 414 and/or other components of a deployed IoT platform (e.g., an IoT application 462) to interact with one or more of these systems and services. Non-limiting examples of provider services that may be invoked or accessed to work in conjunction with the IoT platform include:security services 432 that maintain and apply security policies, access controls, and the like, encrypt and decrypt information, create secure transmission (e.g., TLS) channels, etc.;messaging services 434 that transmit triggering events and other notifications between subscribing users and services, and or/ provide queueing services for prioritizing synchronous and asynchronous operations (e.g., API calls); monitoringservices 436 that monitor network activity and computing resource usage and generatelogs 442 of activity;data storage services 438 that maintain distributed storage devices, databases, etc., and that may maintain and/or obtain data stored in an IoTdevice data store 464; and,data analytics services 440 that may collect data (e.g., aggregated sensor data) and perform analytics on the data, such as machine learning, trend analysis, general monitoring/alerting, etc. -
FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 of an example IoT device deployment at a residence in order to create a set of connected objects around the home. The illustrated example IoT devices for connecting to certain objects are not limiting, but are demonstrative of a “smart home” concept where the status can be monitored, and/or operations controlled, for residential devices and systems that historically could only be monitored and controlled manually. Additionally, using the IoT platform described above, together with user interactions and feedback, data from different types of objects and IoT devices may be collected, aggregated, and analyzed to identify previously unknown optimizations, synergies, impacts, and cooperative functionalities between objects in the home. In the illustrated example, the IoT devices may be natively included as a component of the corresponding connected object, or may be retroactively connected (e.g., via sensors and control interfaces as described above) to an unconnected object to connect that object to the IoT platform. - Non-limiting example IoT devices in the diagram 500 include:
security IoT devices 502 that monitor home activity, such as smart doorbells, indoor and outdoor video cameras, security/alarm systems, etc.; fixture IoT devices 504 for connecting to “analog” home fixtures, such as faucets and other plumbing; appliance IoT devices 506 for connecting to in-home appliances such as televisions, washers and dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, garbage disposals, coffee makers, etc.; HVAC IoT devices 508 for connecting to air conditioning units, heating units, vents, etc.; water supply IoT devices 510 for connecting to water heaters, water softeners, water filtration systems, water and sewer pipes, sump pumps and other water pumps, etc.; interior environmental sensor devices 512 such as motion detectors, light detectors, sound detectors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, thermostats, etc.; exterior sensor devices 514 such as light and motion detectors, rain sensors, wind sensors, etc.; irrigation IoT devices 516 for connecting to watering system control panels, valves, water lines, areas of earth/soil, etc.; and, pool andspa IoT devices 518 for connecting to pool controls, pool pumps, pool lights, the pool/spa itself, etc. Some or all of the IoT devices 502-518 may collect and send data to a gateway, router, or base station in the home, or directly to a cloud-based server; configuration and control commands may be transmitted in the opposite direction. - The deployment may further include one or more IoT platform interface/
feedback devices 520, such as a resident's desktop PC or smartphone having software or a browser interface executing thereon to access the IoT platform and monitor, configure, control, add, remove, change, and perform other management operations on the IoT devices 502-518 and/or interact with collected and analyzed data. The IoT platform may further include a vehicle IoT system 530 installed in the resident's vehicle. In some embodiments, the installation may include a user interface similar to that of thefeedback device 520, installed on a computer of the vehicle and presented, e.g., on a navigation screen or another display device. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle IoT system 530 may include one or more IoT devices that monitor and/or control various properties of the vehicle, such as motor speed and temperature, fuel/battery level, interior temperature, ignition, etc. -
FIG. 6 shows anillustrative system 600 that enables the monitoring, performance evaluation, and control of connected devices in a residential water system. Thesystem 600 may include one or more network-enabled devices (e.g., which may each include or correspond to an IoT device such as theIoT device 200 ofFIG. 2 ) including without limitation: acontroller 602; smart valves (e.g.,valves meters manifolds 628;pumps 1108;filters 1109;monitoring devices 1104 and sensors; integrated systems such as awater filtration system 614, awater softener system 652, andwater heaters appliances 629; and other water system components that can be network-enabled as described herein. For example, in some embodiments thesystem 600 may include any network-enabled component of the water system and any of its subsystems, such as water subsystems dedicated to management of water at a residential feature (e.g., a pool/spa 1102), or within an area of the residence or building (e.g., in a basement or in a kitchen), or at a particular point in the flow of water through the water system. For example, thesystem 600 can include a point-of-entry (POE) system 2010 (and any integrated systems and/or components thereof) at a point-of-entry where feed water (i.e., from a municipal source, well, or other water source 612) enters the residential water system. - The
system 600 may further include one or moreremote servers 608, one or more user devices 644, a gateway 604 (e.g.,gateway 320 ofFIG. 3 ), which may be alternatively referred to as a base station or a router, and anetwork 606, which may be a LAN, WAN, or the internet. Thegateway 604 may route data (e.g., including commands, messages, sensor data, profile data, alerts, or other applicable information) locally between the network-enabled devices of thesystem 600 that are in direct communication with thegateway 604, and globally between local devices and remote devices via thenetwork 606. One or more user devices 644 and one or moreremote servers 608 may be communicatively coupled to thegateway 604 via thenetwork 606. The user devices 644 may include personal computers, tablets, smart phones, etc. Thecontroller 602 may be in direct communication with thegateway 604 in order to access data at thegateway 604, send commands to the various network-enabled devices (or a specific one or more of the devices), exchange communications withremote servers 608 and/or user devices 644, etc. Alternatively, thecontroller 602 may communicate directly with some or all of the network-enabled devices. Non-limiting example interactions and processing functions of thecontroller 602 are described further below. - A
smart valve 613 and aflow meter 648 may be coupled between a node 649 and the output of a water source 612, which may be, for example, the main water line into a building such as a residence or business, an output of a water softener, or an output of a hot water heater. For example, thesmart valve 613 can be, or can connect to, a municipal water meter with an integrated controller. The smart valve may selectively enable and disable the flow of water into thesystem 600. Theflow meter 648 may measure the flow rate of water passing through it and may generate corresponding flow rate data. Theflow meter 648 may be communicatively coupled to thegateway 604 and may thereby transmit flow rate data to thecontroller 602 orremote servers 608. Thesmart valve 613 may be communicatively coupled to thegateway 604 and may receive commands from thecontroller 602, which set the state (e.g., open or closed) of thesmart valve 613. The node 649 may split the flow of water output from the flow meter 648 (e.g., with a pipe fitting that splits the flow of water) between an input of thewater softener system 652 and an input of amanifold 628. Asmart valve 662 and aflow meter 664 may be coupled between the node 649 and an input of the manifold 628, and may operate similarly to thesmart valve 613 and theflow meter 648, respectively, to monitor and control the flow of input water into themanifold 628. - The
water softener system 652 may be coupled to receive water from one of the two outputs of the node 649. Thewater softener system 652 may, for example, be an ion exchange system (e.g., a sodium ion exchange system) that reduces the mineral content (e.g., the calcium and magnesium content) of water passing through it to produce “softened” water. In some embodiments, thewater softener system 652 may include an internal flow meter andsmart valve 652A at its input and/or output, so that the flow of water through thewater softener system 652 may be measured and controlled. Theinput valve 652A of thewater softener 652 may be selectively opened and closed by thecontroller 602 and/or an integrated controller of thewater softener 652. In this way, the flow of softened water into the building may be selectively blocked (e.g., when a leak is detected by the water leak sensor 620 or any other applicable leak detection mechanism). Thecontroller 602 may communicate with thewater softener 652 or a processor thereof to control the amount of water softening agent (e.g., salt) that the water softener applies to the water it receives from theflow meter 648. In some embodiments, thewater softener 652 may be controlled via commands issued (e.g., by controller 602) in connection with providing customized output water at a point-of-use. For example, when a highly saline output water is requested (e.g., at a bathtub faucet), thewater softener 652 may receive and process commands that cause it to increase the salt concentration in an output of the “clean” side of thewater softener 652 for a period of time. - The output of the
water softener system 652 may be coupled to anode 653, which may split the flow of softened water output by thewater softener system 652 between an input of thewater filtration system 614 and an input of themanifold 628. Asmart valve 654 and a flow meter 656 may be coupled between thenode 653 and the input of thewater filtration system 614, and may operate similarly to thesmart valve 613 and theflow meter 648, respectively, to monitor and control the flow of softened water into thefiltration system 614. Asmart valve 658 and aflow meter 660 may be coupled between thenode 653 and an input of the manifold 628, and may operate similarly to thesmart valve 613 and theflow meter 648, respectively, to monitor and control the flow of softened water into themanifold 628. In an alternate embodiment, thesmart valve 613 may be omitted and the output of theflow meter 648 may be coupled only to thewater softener 652, such that thewater softener 652 is the only source of water provided to themanifold 628. In this alternate embodiment, the flow of water into the building may be shut off by closing aninput valve 652A of thewater softener 652 in response to the detection of a leak. - The
water filtration system 614 includes water-filtering components working in concert to receive softened or unsoftened water and produce filtered water for drinking and other applications. In some embodiments, thewater filtration system 614 uses a combination of reverse osmosis (RO) water filtration and activated carbon water filtration. However, it should be understood that other types of water filtration may be used in combination with or instead of these filtration methods. In such alternate embodiments, thewater filtration system 614 may perform ionization, ultraviolet filtration, or infrared filtration. Non-limiting example water-filtering components include a pre-filter, controllable relays (i.e., pipes between different components, having controllable valves), a carbon filter, a membrane, a post filter, and a storage tank. Other embodiments of awater filtration system 614 may include additional or substitute components; for example, controllable relays are typically interconnecting pipes with valves, but may instead be fluid connectors, or a fluid manifold system, or a piston and valve system. An input of the water filtration system 614 (e.g., into the pre-filter; into the relays) may receive water from an output of the flow meter 656. While shown here to be external to thewater filtration system 614, in alternate embodiments thesmart valve 654 and/or the flow meter 656 may be internal components of thewater filtration system 614. - In some embodiments, the
water filtration system 614 may include an integrated or otherwise dedicatedcontroller 603, and one or more of thewater filtration system 614 components (including thesmart valve 654 and/or the flow meter 656, in some embodiments) may be an IoT-enabled or otherwise connected device that communicates with and may be controlled by thecontroller 603. For example, thecontroller 603 may receive commands issued bycontroller 602 or another device in connection with providing customized output water at a point-of-use. - A portion of the input water, referred to herein as permeate or filtered water, may pass through the
filtration system 614 for distribution, leaving behind most (e.g., 95%-99%) of the solids originally contained within the input water (e.g., salt or other minerals) referred to herein as concentrate. The concentrate may be routed to adrain 640 via a concentrate outlet of the membrane. The permeate may be passed to an input of a manifold 628 for subsequent use invarious water appliances 629, or may be stored in a storage tank for future on-demand use. The storage tank may also be a connected device; for example, the storage tank may include a water level sensor that detects when the storage tank is full. In response, the water level sensor may send data to thecontroller 603 indicating that the storage tank is full. Thecontroller 603 may then control the relays to stop the flow of water through thewater filtration system 614 until the water level sensor detects that the storage tank is no longer full. Alternatively, thecontroller 603 may send data to thecontroller 602 indicating that the storage tank is full and, in response, thecontroller 602 may close a selected one of thesmart valves water filtration system 614. - A
smart valve 625 may be coupled between thewater filtration system 614 and the manifold 628 so that the flow of water into the manifold 628 from thewater filtration system 614 may be selectively enabled and disabled. In some embodiments, aflow meter 650 may be coupled between thesmart valve 625 and the manifold 628 and may measure the flow rate of water passing between the two components. Theflow meter 650 may be communicatively coupled to thegateway 604 and may thereby transmit flow rate data to thecontroller 602 orremote servers 608. Thesmart valve 625 may be communicatively coupled to thegateway 604 and may receive commands from thecontroller 602, which sets the state (e.g., open or closed) of thesmart valve 625. These commands may be automatically generated or may be generated in response to user input provided to thecontroller 602 from the user devices 644 and/orUI devices network 606 and thegateway 604. While shown here to be external to thewater filtration system 614, in alternate embodiments thesmart valve 625 may be an internal component of thewater filtration system 614 and may be controlled by thecontroller 603. - A manifold 628 may be a network-enabled smart manifold, having controllable valves at each of its inputs and outputs so that the flow of water through the manifold 628 may be selectively controlled. For example, any selected output of the manifold 628 may be supplied with a selected water type—unsoftened and unfiltered “feed water” output from the
flow meter 664, softened and unfiltered output from theflow meter 660, or softened and filtered output from theflow meter 650. In other embodiments, thesystem 600 may includemultiple manifolds 628, each connecting certain types of water to certain endpoints. For example, thePOE system 2010 may include adiscrete manifold 628 for distributing each of the feed water, the softened water, and the filtered water; additionally or alternatively, thePOE system 2010 may include afirst manifold 628 connecting to thewater appliances 629, and asecond manifold 628 connecting to thefirst manifold 628, a water heater, and afill valve 1114 of the pool/spa 1102. A network-enabled controller (e.g.,IoT device 200 ofFIG. 2 ) may be included in or coupled to the manifold 628, enabling remote and automatic control of the manifold 628 via a wired or wireless connection to the base station/gateway/router 604. In some embodiments, when thesystem 600 includesmultiple manifolds 628, each manifold 628 may be its own separately-addressable device, having a dedicated controller communicating with thegateway 604 or with a routing-capable controller maintaining its own network address table (NAT) for themanifolds 628. - Water-using
appliances 629 in thesystem 600 may, for example, include asteam oven 630, abeverage device 632, one or more water taps 634A,B, . . . ,N (e.g., leading to the N faucets inside and outside of the building), one or more separate drinking water taps 638, adishwasher 636 and/or other applicable appliances, such as awashing machine 624. Network-enabledflow meters 642 may be interposed between the manifold 628 and thewater appliances 629. Each of theflow meters 642 may include or may be coupled to a network-enabled controller (e.g.,IoT device 200 ofFIG. 2 ) by which theflow meters 642 may be communicatively coupled to thegateway 604. Theflow meters 642 may monitor the flow rates of water passing between each of the outputs of the manifold 628 and thewater appliances 629, and may communicate corresponding flow rate data to thecontroller 602 through thegateway 604. Each sampling of flow rate data from theflow meters controller 602 may identify potential leaks or misuse of filtered water, and may assess the total water consumption and/or the consumption of softened or filtered water as compared to other equivalent homes or businesses in the same area, as will be explained below. - In some embodiments, at least a portion of water-using
appliances 629 in thesystem 600 may be network-enabled devices that are communicatively coupled to thegateway 604 using integrated computing and networking hardware, such as microprocessors, wireless network cards, etc. Such network-enabled appliances may have computing hardware and software configured to provide a built-in user interface (UI)device 647 that enables a user to select customized water settings and activate the water customization functions of the invention described herein. For example, a network-enabled refrigerator may include aUI device 647 with a touchscreen that is integrated into the refrigerator door and displays graphical Uls that present information (e.g., compartment temperature, water filter status) and enable users to control refrigerator operations (e.g., toggle between water and ice dispensers, change the temperature, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, water-usingappliances 629 that are not inherently network-enabled, such as faucets and other water taps 634A-N, 638, can be rendered network-enabled by installing an IoT device thereon, as described herein (e.g.,IoT device 200 ofFIG. 2 ). Such IoT devices may include or provide aUI device 646 that, like theintegrated UI devices 647 of other appliances, enables the user to use the water customization functions at any point-of-use in the water system; in some embodiments, theUI device 646 can be retrofit to existing water devices and fixtures, such as faucets, shower heads, drinking water taps, coffee machines, etc.UI devices example UI device 646 is described in detail below with respect toFIG. 8 . - The
system 600 for producing customized output water at a point-of-use can include one or more additive dispensers, shown in various embodiments inFIG. 6 , for dispensing one or more additives into one or more streams of input water in order to impart a desired water characteristic on the input water; in all, the additives dispensed by an additive dispenser can in combination transform the input water stream(s) into customized output water having the desired water characteristics specified by a requesting user, as described further below. In some embodiments, all of the additive dispensers in thesystem 600 may be the same type of dispenser; alternatively, such as in the illustrated example, thesystem 600 may include multiple types/embodiments of an additive dispenser, according to the requirements for receiving input water and/or for treating the input water with certain additives. Non-limiting examples include: anadditive dispenser 670 receiving input water and delivering it to a swimming pool or spa via afill valve 1114, and dispensing suitable pool-related additives such as salt or saltwater, chlorine and other pool chemicals, dyes, and aromatics; anadditive dispenser 672 receiving input water and delivering it to adrinking water tap 638, and dispensing drinking water additives such as flavored syrups, nutritional concentrates, alkalizing agents and other balancing agents, aromatics, and compressed carbon dioxide and other gases; anadditive dispenser 674 delivering water to abeverage device 632 may dispense any of the above drinking water additives, and further may dispense certain combinations of additives for producing output water with an optimal water profile for making certain beverages, such as coffee. - Some additive dispensers may receive multiple input water streams, such as a cold or tap-temperature stream from a manifold 628 and a hot input water stream from a
water heater 622. Anadditive dispenser 676A-X for anormal water tap 634A-N, such as a sink or bathtub faucet, shower head, or hose spigot, may receive one or both of the “hot” and “cold” streams delivered to thewater tap 634A-N in accordance with typical household plumbing. Thewater system 600 may include X additive dispensers serving N water taps, where, in various embodiments: X may be greater than N, such as when multipleadditive dispensers 676A-X may serve a single one of the water taps 634A-N (e.g., a distinct additive dispenser for each of the “hot” and “cold” streams delivered to the water tap); X may be equal to N, such as when eachwater tap 634A-N has a dedicatedadditive dispenser 676A-X; or, X may be less than N, such as when some of the water taps 634A-N do not have a connectedadditive dispenser 676A-X, or when a particular one of theadditive dispensers 676A-X serves more than one of the water taps 634A-N. Each of theadditive dispensers 676A-X can deliver additives suitable for the point(s)-of-use of the water tap(s) 634A-N that is/are in fluid communication with the dispenser. Non-limiting examples include: high salt concentrations, special salts, aromatics, etc., for a bath; dyes, nutrients, and anti-scalants for a kitchen sink; and, plant fertilizer for a hose spigot. Similarly, anadditive dispenser 678 for adishwasher 636 may deliver salts, detergents, and other dishwashing agents, and anadditive dispenser 679 for awashing machine 624 may deliver detergents, fabric softener, etc. In various alternative embodiments of the system 600: a single additive dispenser can be configured to dispense all available additives; a single additive dispenser can service multiple points-of-use or all points-of-use; etc. - The
controller 602 may be implemented as a network-enabled device in the home, or may be implemented as part of a cloud-based architecture. For example, in a cloud-based implementation of thecontroller 602, the functions of thecontroller 602 may be performed by a dedicated module running on theremote servers 608, which may eliminate the need for a physical controller to be installed in the home or business of the user. In another example, thecontroller 602 may simply perform data relay functions, receiving data from connected in-home devices and sending the data to theremote servers 608, and/or receiving commands from the remote servers 608 (or the user devices 644 and/oruser interface devices 646, 647) and issuing the commands to the connected devices, but otherwise not performing any non-essential data processing. In one embodiment, thecontroller 602 may be a central control hub, which may include a processor, volatile and non-volatile memory, a user interface, and network interface circuitry. Thecontroller 602 or theremote servers 608 may communicate with the controllers of network-enabled components automatically or in response to manual user commands (e.g., provided at the user interface of thecontroller 602 or by one of the user devices 644 and/or user interface devices 647). - In some embodiments, such as in the illustrated example, the
controller 602 can store or access customization logic 611 comprising machine-readable program instructions that thecontroller 602 executes to control the additive dispensers of thesystem 600 and produce customized output water at one or more points-of-use according to system settings or received commands. Additionally or alternatively, theremote servers 608 or the user devices 644/UI devices UI device device controller 602. For example, the GUI may display an arrangement of selectable graphical elements, such as buttons on a touchscreen, that are each associated with a stored water profile as described below; the user's selection of a button can cause the customization application 645 to generate input data identifying the associated water profile as the selected profile, and to send the input data to the controller 602 (or to the removeservers 608, or to the corresponding additive dispenser) for processing. - Thus, program instructions being executed on computing devices including the
controller 602,remote servers 608, user devices 644, and/orUI devices controller 602, in some embodiments, may store or access a water profile data store 610, which may be an electronic database, lookup table, data file or another suitable data structure that stores relational data for creating output water with the desired characteristics. For example, a water profile may identify the additives to be dispensed into the input water, and the amounts of the additives or flow rates of the dispensation. Additionally, a water profile may include one or more algorithms, such as mathematical formulae, associating the amounts of additives with corresponding characteristics of the input water. For example, water to be delivered to a coffee maker (or to adrinking water tap 638 where the user has selected a “coffee water” profile on the associated UI device 646) can have a desired pH level; the profile may include information for determining, based on the pH of the input water, how much additive (e.g., which may be an acidic compound or a basic compound) to dispense to adjust the pH to the desired level. In other embodiments, the water profile may include parameters and values that describe the additives to be dispensed, and the customization logic 611 may include program instructions for calculating the correct amount of additive to dispense. -
FIG. 7A illustrates anexample method 700 executed by a system as described above to generate customized output water at a point-of-use. At 702, the system may receive a request to generate the customized output water. For example, the system may collect user input entered on a user device or a UI device as described above; the user input may include a selection of desired water characteristics and information for identifying the target point-of-use. In another example, a triggering event may cause the system to automatically generate or receive the request according to pre-stored information describing the action to take when the triggering event is detected. Another IoT device (e.g., a device in any of the systems described above with respect toFIG. 5 ) associated with the residence may cause or detect the triggering event, signaling the system (e.g., by sending an event message describing the triggering event). For example, the user may instruct the system to deliver customized output water for making coffee to a drinking water tap at a certain time in the morning, or in response to a motion detector detecting the user's movement when the user arises in the morning, or in response to an event message from the user's smartphone indicating that the user has accessed the smartphone for the first time of the morning. - At 704, the system can identify, from the request, the target point-of-use and the additive dispenser(s) that should be engaged to service the request. At 706, the system may determine whether the request identifies a water profile selected by the user; if so, at 708 the system may obtain the selected water profile (e.g., from a
data store 720 of water profiles). In some embodiments, in addition or alternatively to providing water profiles, the system may enable the user to enter (i.e., via a GUI) desired water characteristics manually). Thus, if no profile is selected, at 710 the system may obtain these manually-entered desired water characteristics from the input data or otherwise based on the request. - With the desired water characteristics identified, at 712 the system may use the desired water characteristics to determine which additives to dispense, and how much of each, by the additive dispenser(s) into the corresponding input water stream(s). An example method of determining the additives and amounts is provided in
FIG. 7B . In some embodiments, at 714 the system may determine whether the additives and amounts identified at 712 are available for dispensation. For example, an additive dispenser may be configured to provide status information to a controller of the system, including the amounts available of each additive (e.g., the fluid level in an additive cartridge); the controller may determine whether the amounts needed to satisfy the request are present, based on the status information. If there is an insufficient amount of any of the additives, at 716 the system may reject the request, such as by providing a message for display in the GUI of the user device indicating that additive levels are too low. If there is enough of each required additive, at 718 the system may control the additive dispenser(s) to dispense the additive(s) into the input water. As, or after, the additives are dispensed, at 720 the system may control delivery of the customized output water to the target point-of-use. For example, the system may control a valve at the output port of the additive dispenser, and/or a smart valve occluding the fluid flow at the point-of-use, to open, causing the water blended with the dispensed additive(s) to flow to the point-of-use and be delivered at the customized output water. - At 722, the system may receive an indication that the use of the customized output water is complete. For example, the system may communicate with a flow meter in the fluid path to the target point-of-use to determine that the flow has ceased and has not resumed for a predetermined wait period. At 724, the system may return the output water at the target point-of-use to its normal composition. For example, the system may control the additive dispensers to stop dispensing additives.
-
FIG. 7B illustrates anexample method 750 by which the system determines how much of each additive to dispense into the input water to produce the customized output water having the desired water characteristics (as in 712 ofFIG. 7A ). At 752 the system may determine the actual water characteristics of the output water that is normally delivered to the target point-of-use. At 754, the system may optionally determine the actual water characteristics of the input water stream(s) received by the additive dispenser(s) being used to generate the customized output water. Real-time water characteristics may be determined using any suitable water composition sensor technology, such as sensors for detecting pH/acidity, TDS, chemical (e.g., fluoride, potassium) content, etc. - In some embodiments, the system may determine the necessary additives and their amounts based on the actual water characteristics of the water being treated as well as the desired water characteristics. At 756 the system may select a characteristic to evaluate from the list of desired water characteristics, and may obtain the associated actual value. For example, “salt content” may be a characteristic that needs a “target” value in the customized output water; the system may thus obtain the salt content of the water being treated. At 758 the system may determine a difference between the actual value and the target value. If there is a difference, at 762 the system determines which additive(s) modif(y)ies the selected water characteristic, as well as the amount of each additive that, when added to the input water, will impart the target value of the selected characteristic upon the customized output water at the target point-of-use. For example, the system can make these determinations by executing one or more algorithms and/or calculating outputs of one or more mathematical formulae that are stored in system memory. At 764, if there are more water characteristics to evaluate, the system may return to 756 and select an unevaluated characteristic, repeating the process until additive(s)/amount(s) have been determined for all desired water characteristics.
- Referring to
FIG. 8 , an exampleadditive dispenser 800 may be disposed in fluid communication between an input water source, such as a feed water source or a manifold, and one or more points-of-use 820. Theadditive dispenser 800 may in some embodiments operate in thesystem 600 described above with respect toFIG. 6 . Theadditive dispenser 800 can include ahousing 802 with one ormore input ports 804A,B and one ormore output ports 812. The number of each type ofport 804A,B, 812 may depend on the number of input streams 822, 824 and/or the number of output streams 830: in the illustrated example, afirst input port 804A may receive acold water stream 822 and asecond input port 804B may receive a hot water stream 824, and the additive dispenser may produce a single,mixed output stream 830 through theoutput port 812; other designs are contemplated, such as a single input port, or matched pairs of input ports and output ports (e.g., for hot and cold streams that are not mixed inside thehousing 802; the additives may be dispensed into either stream or both streams). Thehousing 802 can define or contain a mixingchamber 808 in which the input water is mixed with additives; in some embodiments where multiple input streams are received, the mixingchamber 808 may further mix the input streams to produce the input water. - A
cartridge manifold 850 may be attached to or contained partially or entirely within thehousing 802, or can otherwise be in fluid communication with the mixingchamber 808. In some embodiments, adispenser 852, such as a spigot, tube, or nozzle, or a combination thereof, may connect thecartridge manifold 850 to the mixingchamber 808. The cartridge manifold can retain one ormore cartridges 854A,B,C each containing one or more additives. Thecartridges 854A-C may be releasable and replaceable, and may be accessed from outside of thehousing 802 in some embodiments. Thecartridge manifold 850 can include mechanisms for controlling the dispensation of additive from each of thecartridges 854A-C. For example, thecartridge manifold 850 may contain a single mechanized valve for opening and closing all of thecartridges 854A-C at once, or a separate valve for eachcartridge 854A-C. - A
controller 840 may electrically and/or mechanically connect to thecartridge manifold 850. Thecontroller 840 may be remote from thehousing 802, or may be attached to or disposed partially or completely within thehousing 802 as shown. Thecontroller 840 can include amicroprocessor 842,memory 844 such as memory modules, atransceiver 846 or other communication module(s), and power connections such as aninput socket 848 for a power cable and/or anonboard battery 849.Memory 844 can store machine-readable and executable program instructions that themicroprocessor 842 executes to exchange data with other components (via the transceiver 846), process the data, and store data in thememory 844. Themicroprocessor 842 may be configured to send control commands to thecartridge manifold 850 to cause dispensation of specific amounts of one or more of the additives. Alternatively, thecontroller 840 can include mechanical actuators that connect to the valves of thecartridge manifold 850 and actuate the valves mechanically. Themicroprocessor 842 can also request and receive status information from thecartridge manifold 850, such as the amount of each additive remaining in eachcartridge 854A-C. Themicroprocessor 842 may also be in electronic communication (via the transceiver 846) with aflow meter 814 that is disposed downstream of theoutput port 812 and near the point-of-use 820. In some embodiments, theflow meter 814 can report the flow rate of theoutput stream 830 as it is delivered to the point-of-use asoutput water 832; themicroprocessor 842 can compare the reported flow rate to stored values to control dispensation of the additives. For example, themicroprocessor 842 can determine from the flow rate that the faucet at the point-of-use 820 is off, and may prevent additives from dispensing until the water begins flowing. In another example, thememory 844 can store a lookup table or other relational database to determine the amount of each additive to dispense based on the flow rate (i.e., more additive is needed when the water is flowing faster). - A
UI device 860 can be connected to, or otherwise disposed in relation to, the point-of-use 820. TheUI device 860 can include itsown microprocessor 862,memory 864,transceiver 866, andpower input 868 as described above. Additionally, for presenting information to a user and receiving user input, theUI device 860 can include various input/output devices 870 such as one or more of: atouchscreen 872; adisplay 874, such as a LCD screen; one ormore speakers 876 or other audio devices; apointing device 878 such as a mouse or trackball; a keypad and/orkeyboard 880, and amicrophone 882. Themicroprocessor 862 can execute stored program instructions in memory to communicate with thecontroller 840 and to present auser interface 865 to the user. TheUI device 860 can be used to activate the customized output water and to select the desired water characteristics. In some embodiments, thememory 864 can store a set of water profiles having a descriptive name and a set of parameters that either or both of themicroprocessors output water 832 with the desired characteristics. TheUI 865 may also enable the user to set each of the available parameters manually, to view dispenser status information such as the type(s) of additive(s), the fill level of eachcartridge 854A-C, the date eachcartridge 854A-C was installed, etc. User inputs can be sent to themicroprocessor 842 and translated into control commands for one or both of themicroprocessor 842 and thecartridge manifold 850. In alternative embodiments, theUI device 860 may additionally or alternatively communicate directly with thecartridge manifold 850. - Similarly to
FIG. 8 ,FIG. 9 illustrates anexample manifold 900 that can receiveinput water input ports 906A,B . . . ,N) and deliver customizedoutput water 930 to multiple points-of-use (i.e., throughoutput ports 912A,B, . . . ,R). The manifold 900 can have one or more integratedadditive dispensers 950 configured to dispense one or more additives from one ormore cartridges 954A,B,C through aspigot 952 into a mixingchamber 908 for mixing with the input water, as described above. Acontroller 940 including amicroprocessor 942,memory 944, atransceiver 946, and one ormore power inputs output water 930. Thecontroller 940 may electrically and/or mechanically connect to theadditive dispenser 950. The manifold 900 can include ahousing 902 with one or more input ports inputports 904A-N and one ormore output ports 912A-R. Thecontroller 940 may be remote from thehousing 902, or may be attached to or disposed partially or completely within thehousing 902 as shown. In addition to the functions of thecontroller 840 ofFIG. 8 , thecontroller 940 of the manifold 900 can controlinput valves 906A,B, . . . ,N each associated with one of theinput ports 904A-N to select which of the input streams 920, 922, 924 is received in the mixingchamber 908, and can controloutput valves 910A,B, . . . ,R each associated with one of theoutput ports 912A-R to select which of the connected points-of-use will receive theoutput stream 930. - It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the invention has been described above in connection with particular embodiments and examples, the invention is not necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications and departures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto. The entire disclosure of each patent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference, as if each such patent or publication were individually incorporated by reference herein. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
- Features which are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. The applicant hereby gives notice that new claims may be formulated to such features and/or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present application or of any further application derived therefrom. Features of the systems described may be incorporated into/used in corresponding methods and vice versa.
- For the sake of completeness, it is also stated that the term “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, the term “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality, a single processor or other unit may fulfil the functions of several means recited in the claims and any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.
Claims (20)
1. A system comprising:
a water system comprising:
a water source;
an additive dispenser coupled to the water source;
a smart valve coupled between and in fluid communication with the water source and the additive dispenser; and
a communication system comprising:
a controller in electronic communication with the additive dispenser, the smart valve, and a communication network, the controller comprising a processor and a memory device configured to store instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive, from a user device connected to the communication network, a request for customized water at a point-of-use, and
upon receiving the request, control the additive dispenser and the smart valve to modify water received by the additive dispenser from the water source to produce the customized water at the point-of-use.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the point-of-use comprises a water-using appliance that is selected from the group consisting of: a pool, a spa, a water tap, a beverage device, a dishwasher, a washing machine, and a steam oven.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the additive dispenser is configured to deliver at least one additive to the water received from the water source to produce the customized water, the at least one additive being selected from the group consisting of: salt, chlorine, an acidic compound, a basic compound, an aromatic compound, a flavoring compound, a mineral compound, dye, nutrients, an anti-scalant compound, plant fertilizer, detergent, and fabric softener.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the request identifies a custom water profile, and wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:
retrieve the custom water profile from a custom water profile data store; and
identify, based on the custom water profile, the at least one additive and at least one amount of the at least one additive to be delivered to the water, wherein the additive dispenser is configured to produce the customized water by delivering the at least one amount of the at least one additive to the water.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:
determine that the at least one amount of the at least one additive is not available to the additive dispenser; and
cause an error message to be displayed at a user interface associated with the point-of-use, the error message indicating insufficient additive levels are available to complete the request.
6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the request identifies a desired water characteristic, and wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:
cause the additive dispenser to deliver an amount of the at least one additive to the water to produce the customized water having the desired water characteristic.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:
receive sensor data from at least one sensor in fluid communication with an input of the additive dispenser;
determine, based on the sensor data, an actual water characteristic of the water received by the additive dispenser;
determine a difference between the actual water characteristic to the desired water characteristic; and
determine, based on the difference, the amount of the at least one additive to be added to the water to cause the customized water to have the desired water characteristic.
8. A method comprising:
receiving, by a controller from a user device via an electronic communication network, a request for customized water at a point-of-use, and
upon receiving the request, controlling, by the controller, an additive dispenser and a smart valve coupled between a water source and the additive dispenser to modify water received by the additive dispenser from the water source to produce the customized water at the point-of-use.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the point-of-use comprises a water-using appliance that is selected from the group consisting of: a pool, a spa, a water tap, a beverage device, a dishwasher, a washing machine, and a steam oven.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
delivering, with the additive dispenser, at least one additive to the water received from the water source to produce the customized water, the at least one additive being selected from the group consisting of: salt, chlorine, an acidic compound, a basic compound, an aromatic compound, a flavoring compound, a mineral compound, dye, nutrients, an anti-scalant compound, plant fertilizer, detergent, and fabric softener.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the request identifies a custom water profile, and wherein the method further comprises:
retrieving, by the controller, the custom water profile from a custom water profile data store; and
identifying, by the controller based on the custom water profile, the at least one additive and at least one amount of the at least one additive to be delivered to the water, wherein the additive dispenser delivers the at least one amount of the additive to the water to produce the customized water.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining, by the controller, that the at least one amount of the at least one additive is not available to the additive dispenser; and
causing, by the controller, an error message to be displayed at a user interface associated with the point-of-use, the error message indicating insufficient additive levels are available to complete the request.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the request identifies a desired water characteristic, and wherein the method further comprises:
delivering, by the additive dispenser, an amount of the at least one additive to the water to produce the customized water having the desired water characteristic.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising
receiving, by the controller, sensor data from at least one sensor in fluid communication with an input of the additive dispenser;
determining, by the controller based on the sensor data, an actual water characteristic of the water received by the additive dispenser;
determining, by the controller, a difference between the actual water characteristic to the desired water characteristic; and
determining, by the controller based on the difference, the amount of the at least one additive to be added to the water to cause the customized water to have the desired water characteristic.
15. An additive dispenser comprising:
a mixing chamber comprising:
at least one input port in fluid communication with a water source; and
at least one output port in fluid communication with a point-of-use;
a cartridge manifold in fluid communication with the mixing chamber;
a cartridge coupled to the cartridge manifold and containing an additive, wherein the cartridge manifold is configured to control dispensation of the additive from the cartridge into the mixing chamber; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the cartridge manifold, the controller comprising a transceiver, a processor, and a memory device configured to store instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive a request for customized water via the transceiver; and
control the cartridge manifold to deliver an amount of the additive contained in the cartridge to the mixing chamber to produce the customized water.
16. The additive dispenser of claim 15 , further comprising:
a flow meter disposed at the output of the mixing chamber, communicatively coupled to the controller, and configured to generate flow rate data representing fluid flow rate through the output.
17. The additive dispenser of claim 16 , wherein the instructions when executed, further cause the processor to:
periodically receive the flow rate data from the flow meter;
determine that the fluid flow rate through the output is zero based on the flow rate data; and
prevent the cartridge manifold from delivering the additive to the mixing chamber until the flow rate data indicates that fluid is flowing at the output.
18. The additive dispenser of claim 16 , wherein the instructions when executed, further cause the processor to:
periodically receive the flow rate data from the flow meter;
perform a comparison of the flow rate data to a look-up table stored in the memory device; and
based on the comparison, determine the amount of the additive to be delivered to the mixing chamber by the cartridge manifold.
19. The additive dispenser of claim 15 , further comprising:
a plurality of cartridges, including the cartridge, coupled to the cartridge manifold, wherein each cartridge contains a respective additive of a plurality of additives.
20. The additive dispenser of claim 19 , wherein the request identifies a water profile, and wherein the instructions when executed, further cause the processor to:
retrieve the water profile from the memory device;
determine, based on the water profile, amounts of the plurality of additives to be delivered to the mixing chamber to produce the customized water; and
cause the cartridge manifold to deliver the amounts of the plurality of additives to the mixing chamber to produce the customized water.
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